The winner of the inaugural YouTube Ad of the Year was a campaign for Sussex Safer Road called “Embrace Life – always wear your seat belt” and created by Alexander Commercials.

This 90-second PSA is very compelling. Rather than showing the typical images of mangled bodies or other horrific messaging, it takes a caring, gentle approach that is nevertheless just as powerful. Shows that you can send a strong safety message without having to shock people into submission.

The other three shortisted campaigns in the YouTube category were: Old Spice, “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” by Wieden & Kennedy Portland; “O2 Gorillaz” by VCCP and “Good call” for Fosters by Adam & Eve.

Here’s the winning ad:

Frankly, it can be hard to define what is a ripoff and what isn’t. We’re all influenced by what others are doing. We see ideas and these influence our own perception and the surrounding culture. So in one sense most ads do rip off elements of other ads, whether intentional or not. And some creative comes out being similar to what others are doing or have done. That’s not what I’m referring to. By ripoff, I mean ads that are very obviously not original, but blatantly steal a concept or style from another, a shortcut to coming up with an original idea.

So far this year, we’ve seen not one, but two major rip-off television commercials by large brands that should know better and have the resources to avoid this kind of stupidity. What were they thinking? In one case, it’s possible the decision makers didn’t know it was a ripoff. In the other, it was so obvious that the creatives could not have been the only culprits.

Windows Phone 7 loses Spice

Isaiah Mustafa has very quickly built a reputation as the “Old Spice Guy.” The original “Look at me, now look at your man” commercial by Wieden+Kennedy that made him famous was delightful, a refreshing change from the usual approach to male deodorants. As the ad series went on, we grew familiar with the concept and it became less interesting, yet people still enjoyed them — especially the original ad that started the whole thing. I’ve seen parodies of the commercial (including this delightful version and this fun version from Sesame Street), references on various TV shows, and even voice mail messages you can download. Here’s a look at the first ad:

Enter Microsoft down under in Australia. They hire the same guy to use his same distinctive Old Spice delivery approach to sell… tada! Software! Kinda. We don’t really know much about what he’s selling for two reasons.

1. First, we’ve fallen asleep before the end of the spot because it’s so dull. Only Microsoft could take a great concept and make it this boring. It reminds me of the joke about the wife of a Microsoft engineer who tells her friend that life in the bedroom consists of him describing to her how great it’s gonna be.

2. The other reason we don’t know is that the spot doesn’t really tell us. So what we’re left with is the Old Spice Guy, standing against the same familiar ocean background, talking us to death about a product we don’t really get to understand. Bad as the spot is, everyone can see it’s a blatant ripoff. There’s no way that essentially everyone involved in this didn’t have a clue about what they were doing. Judging by the response on the advertising blogs, I doubt it will endear Mr. Mustafa to future prospects. Here’s the Microsoft spot. Please don’t drive or operate machinery after viewing.

Pepsi goes SOUR

The other example of recent ripoff advertising comes from Pepsi. With the help of TBWA, they produced what looked, at first glance, like a really great spot about the world coming together. When I first saw it, I loved its creativity and stylistic treatment. People in different locations sharing objects through the magic of the video interface, becoming one common community in the process. Cool idea, good execution to “One Tribe” by the Black Eyed Peas. Here’s the Pepsi One World spot:

Not long after, I learned through the magic of the global community that this ad stole all its visual styling from a Japanese music video by SOUR, produced six months earlier, for their song “Hibi No Neiro.” Take a look at the original SOUR video Hibi No Neiro, then you decide for yourself what you think of Pepsi’s effort now.

It’s certainly possible that the agency and even the client may not have known about the ripoff. Maybe it was the producer of the spot who thought nobody would find out. So I don’t want to come down too hard on the company or agency. But seriously, with all the approvals and licenses that have to happen, I doubt nobody knew. I don’t know if Pepsi paid a licensing fee to SOUR for the use of that video style treatment. I’ll excuse you if you have to step outside and choke with laughter over that one, but call me an eternal optimist. Even if they did, it’s just wrong shy of using SOUR for the music itself. I can understand if some creative schmuck in a small agency, feeling under pressure with an impossibly small budget, might cross the line to steal that much of an idea from someone else. But in a major agency? For a major client? A global client, no less? That’s just ridiculous. Please, ad people, let’s stop going down this kind of road.

I find it wildly entertaining, and feel that overall it does do an admirable job of making you remember the intended message. Take a look and see what you think:

As expected, professionals in the ad world are complaining. They don’t like the fact that it’s obviously not real. They note that there are several edits. There have been arguments that it’s pointless because we know the outcome ahead of time. They complain that the logo is always in view. Do these things invalidate a viral approach? What does make a great viral video?

Does it matter if it’s not ‘Real’?

Personally, I don’t see that it really matters a whole lot if your viral video is completely believable as being “real.” The main point of anything like this is that it’s memorable. If people like it, they’ll share it with their friends. If they don’t, no matter how real you’ve made it, they won’t. It’s as simple as that. On that basis, I think this succeeds, because it’s entertaining and ‘real enough’ to be shareable. This entire setup is clearly preposterous from the start. Anyone who believes that some geek really built this kind of set in their bedroom probably doesn’t have enough friends to be of viral use anyway. But most viral videos aren’t real, or at the very least, have questions hanging over their authenticity. We’re smart enough these days to know that this stuff isn’t real. We watch videos like this because of their entertainment value. Are Evian’s roller-skating babies real (see below)?

Does it matter that the logo is overused?

A lot has been made about the fact that the Samsung logo is constantly in view. I think this would be a valid complaint in a typical case, but here the logo has a reason for being there. It’s part of the product itself. If you shot a viral video of a Coke bottle making a journey across the country, the logo would be in view as well because that’s the product. So this is a pointless argument. If you’re considering a viral video effort, be careful about how the logo is used, but don’t be concerned if the logo is obviously a part of your product and would normally appear. Just don’t force it.

Does it matter that we know the outcome?

We know the outcome of movies, but we still go to watch them. We know the outcome of almost every television show, but we still watch. This argument holds no weight at all.

What makes viral video work?

As far as viral video advertising goes, I find Samsung’s approach more enjoyable than some of those on the Ad Age Top 10 list, like this lame Gymkhana Three music video for DC Shoes, which is just as obviously an ad and not really all that exciting. I can’t handle more than a few seconds of it. Yet it has achieved more than 2.7 million “real” views. Why? Likewise, Buick has an extremely lame effort that’s got no viral qualities at all, but has over a million views. It’s so bad you would think the ad industry is all over even attempting to call it “viral.”

My take on the whole “fake viral video” issue is that companies should just do it and see what happens. Try to make your video as real as possible, and make sure it’s entertaining. Don’t sweat the small details, they won’t matter one way or another. Nobody but your competitors and a few ad critics will take issue with those small points. If people like what they see, they’ll share it. If they do, you win. If they don’t, hopefully you had fun trying.

Another viral campaign that is still climbing rapidly in popularity after many weeks is Evian’s “Live Young” video featuring a group of lively babies skating to a hip hop beat. It’s delightful. Like Samsung’s video, it isn’t real and is also clearly commercial in nature. Yet we don’t care. Because it’s entertaining. It has over 800,000 views and growing.

Editor’s Update:

While the Gymkhana Three music video I mentioned in the article is extremely lame, there’s another Gymkhana viral video (curiously not in the Ad Age Top 10 though it has over 13 million views) which is highly entertaining. In fact, it’s so good, it deserves to be posted here:

Versus TV trailer

Versus Television ran this nice trailer during the 2010 Tour de France, highlighting the power of sports and competition as a vital element of human life. It makes its point well.

You can see a full length (2:16) version here

Nike World Cup

In a similar vein, Nike ran this outstanding ad just ahead of the 2010 World Cup. The storytelling is superb, and I can only imagine what kind of a budget was behind this effort:

Apple Facetime

Apple created this powerful ad to highlight the new Facetime feature in the iPhone 4. I really like how it feels. It makes me want to use the feature, which is the mark of a great commercial.

Livestrong/Nike “Engine”

Lance Armstrong’s new ad for Livestrong Foundation and Nike does an excellent job of creating emotion with what would normally be just a jumble of background noise. Works beautifully in this context.

Apple Think Different ad

When Steve Jobs regained the helm of Apple, he introduced this new message to remind people of what Apple represented. Great way to apply the emotion of a brand. Not everyone “gets” this message, and that’s the way it should be. Only those who get it will connect with the brand, and they will be loyal.

McDonald’s Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan

Okay, it doesn’t have quite the same emotional power, and falls short of some of the great McDonald’s commercials from the 80’s, but not a bad effort to help the brand ward off its negative perception as a junk food provider and attempt to relate to the world of athletics.

Life moves. From the moment our eyes behold their first blurry view of the world around us until they close for the last time, life is a blur of activity, colour, sound. Is it any wonder we’re fascinated by video? Movies, and then television changed our world. After more than 100 years, motion pictures still capture our imagination, holding us in their enthralling grip for hours at a time. On a recent flight, I was amazed by the number of people watching DVDs on their personal computers. We love moving pictures! No wonder advertising people feel that being part of an industry churning out creative 30-second mini movies is one of the best jobs in the world.

CROSS DISSOLVE. NIGHT.

My family reviews some footage I recorded when my kids were little, edited to music and burned to DVD for the grandparents. We laugh. But emotions soar, roused through a simple combination of moving images and music. So, with our universal fascination for moving pictures, why don’t more companies use video for marketing?

CROSS DISSOLVE. OLD MOVIE FOOTAGE.

It used to be a big deal to use video in a corporate setting. Few people knew how to use these high-tech tools. Equipment was bulky and expensive. Editing suites were big rooms with lots of buttons and dials that only experts understood. You had to find a specialist just to script the thing, never mind finding someone with an eye for motion graphics to produce it. And getting decent production values required a financial commitment beyond all but the biggest firms.

HIGH ENERGY FAST CUTS WITH MUSIC.

No longer. Today, high school students armed with mini camcorders and free software like Apple’s iMovie are turning out products that are staggering in both creativity and quality. The tools for video are getting better, faster, cheaper. Eventually even e-mail will be video-based (I’ll bet everyone who has trouble typing can’t wait for that day). Have you seen what today’s young visionaries are doing with video? While helping judge the Alberta New Media awards, I was amazed at the high production value of student submissions. They not only had the tools, they showed vision and a creative understanding of how to edit footage to communicate effectively. Young people in summer camps and churches are doing more and cooler stuff with video than are most corporations.

Here’s an idea. Put them to work on marketing projects and watch how it infuses your brand with power and energy. Equip enthusiastic employees with a low-cost video suite. Invite them to use these powerful tools to create motion-based brand messaging. Training videos. Corporate newsletters with on-scene footage of the manufacturing process, new products, or interviews with new staff. In our agency, we use video as a way of enhancing new business presentations.

Don’t worry so much about the quality. Modern equipment is good. Just get started. Find people in your organization with vision and enthusiasm. Empower them. A new Macintosh computer and a $1,500 digital camcorder is all they need to turn out above-average productions. They’ll even be able to burn those videos to DVD for easy distribution. Double that investment and the quality will come close to that of professional-grade tools.

Is it really that easy? Yes and no. You do have to provide leadership, management and accountability. You need to get signed releases from staff appearing in your productions to ensure that you can continue to use the material after people move on. But those are minor issues in terms of the big picture. Sales. Not to mention the future of your brand.

The point is that there are virtually no barriers left to using video to enhance your brand messaging. Corporate video is now affordable. It’s accessible. It can be reformatted for other media such as Web delivery. It’s dynamic, vivid, fresh. Getting started now will breathe new life into your brand.

SUPER: “Life moves.”

Technology isn’t going to stand around waiting. Imagine how your company’s digital streaming video annual report 20 years from now might show some of the archival footage from the past. Sure, people might laugh. But emotions will soar, grateful you showed the way.

Rip. Giggle. More ripping. Squeals of delight. Perhaps our society’s fondness for consumer goods has its roots in the opening of gifts and packages, an activity we’ve all enjoyed since childhood. An aspect of marketing too often ignored, product packaging is about to see revolutionary change.

Packaging has become smarter, slicker, more colorful. It is more responsible, with less wasted paper. Smart marketers have recognized its contribution to the total brand personality. Yet one component of the box has not progressed for a hundred years.

I’m referring to the user manual.

A couple of years ago I bought a new camcorder. The box was gorgeous, transmitting the experience it stood for. Parts were individually wrapped in protective plastic bags. Cords were neatly folded and tied. Inside, the lens even came in its own glossy full color box as elegant as the main package. The entire experience was delightful, a fitting resolution to the angst involved in the decision to buy this particular make and model. Then I saw the user manual. It was nice enough as manuals go. But it just felt wrong. Low tech. Bulky. Wasted paper. For all the sophistication we’ve reached in packaging, today’s user manuals are fundamentally the same as those that shipped three decades ago.

A new technology is emerging which, I believe, will convert the lowly user manual into the pinnacle of the product packaging experience. It’s called DVD. Ultimately it will find a meaningful place in the presale brand identity mix, but the adaptation of DVD as a marketing tool will very likely begin with packaging. Picture your next camcorder box. Unlike previous purchases, this contains something extra — a shiny silver disc. You anticipate something special, and the disc delivers. Not only are there video segments on how to use your camera, but video articles helping you make better movies. A CBC Newsworld camera operator hosts a session on how to shoot great documentaries. Steve Martin hosts a funny piece on how to create a wedding video. And the product manager looks you in the eye and tells you that she really does care about your satisfaction and if you have any feedback, here is her direct e-mail address. Played on a computer, you could even click the link and send an immediate e-mail message.

The scenario works for most consumer goods. A new espresso machine can have videos on making the perfect latte. A watch can include a limited-edition, for-owners-only documentary on how this brand has been featured in action movies and traveled to the top of Mt. Everest. Such new product DVDs can include web links to discussion forums and membership areas limited exclusively to owners of the product. It works for travel, too. Imagine getting a detailed video preparing you for that cruise you just booked. Even B2B can benefit, where the DVD manual is used to orient and train people in safe equipment usage and techniques. Brands become more meaningful through digital user manuals.

A number of consumer realities point to a rosy future for DVD in marketing. There’s the simple fact that it is a standard. There are no concerns about whether or not you’ve got the right system to run it, as there were with CD-ROMs. Players are now priced below $100, making them affordable enough for any home or office. Its acceptance has grown exponentially — DVD households have doubled each year since 1998 and should reach more than 70 million worldwide by next year. The format has enough tenure in the entertainment industry to build consumer confidence. People are comfortable watching DVD videos both individually at their computers and in social settings.

Significantly, the format fits with a new consumer emphasis on being real. According to Yankelovich Research, the tragic events of September 11 accelerated an attitude that consumers have already felt for some time, but that marketers have been slow to understand. People want to stop being “sold” things and want to connect. With family. With friends. And with brands. They want marketers to be honest, to get real. Is it any wonder that reality television shows and “live camera” visual styling have been all the rage? Video makes sense in this marketing environment.

Some companies, like Britannica and Apple, are leading the way with DVD. What about you? Is your company ready for a revolution? Maybe it’s time to rethink how your packaging might contribute to your overall brand identity.